Destiny
by BlackFox12
Summary: We all make our own choices – but when those affect destiny in a great way, who else will be affected? ChroniclesLegends of the Raven, by James Barclay
1. Chapter 1

**Destiny**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the Chronicles/Legends of the Raven and I'm not making any money from this fic. The characters Kaya and Liren – and any other character you don't recognise from the books – belong to me

**Summary:** We all make our own choices – but when those affect destiny in a great way, who else will be affected?

**Warning(s):** Spoilers for all books up to _Elfsorrow_; AU for all books following _Elfsorrow_; strong violence; possibly some mild swearing; mentions/descriptions of torture (mild); some creative license with magic (mana) and the demons; original characters

**Author's Note:** This story will be written mainly from the POV of two original characters – just so you're warned. I hope you enjoy this story anyway, though!

* * *

Come to me.

_She blinked, staring around at the forest she was in. She heard the voice with her mind rather than her ears, which somehow seemed to make the order even more compelling to follow. As she took a step forward, though, the trees around her began to age visibly. The whole forest was decaying before her eyes and she felt powerless to do anything about it._

_A flame leaped up before her eyes and she jerked backwards – but could still feel the heat on her skin. When the fire died away, it left behind a black bird – a raven. She reached out to it, but before her fingers could touch its feathers, it disappeared, leaving her fingertips stained with blood._

_Before she could wipe it away, her stomach clenched with pain and she doubled over, feeling the tears flow unbidden._

Come to me.

"_I can't!" she screamed at the sky, as everything around her died._

* * *

Kaya jerked upright with enough force to hit her head on the wall behind her. She winced and slumped back against the wall, rubbing her face with one hand. "Ow… I really need to stop falling asleep against the wall."

"You were screaming in your sleep." Liren – sitting on a chair in the room – stroked the cat in her lap absently. "Bad dream?"

"You could say that." Carefully, Kaya unfolded her long legs and straightened up, just about managing to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "I _refuse_ to believe that this is the only room they had available!" She'd been shaken by the dream and preferred not to talk about it.

Liren eyed her friend thoughtfully, her long fingers never ceasing their stroking. "Don't think you can get out of this that easily. I heard you – whatever you were dreaming made you scream as though you were dying."

"Not me… the whole world. All of Balia." Kaya laced her fingers behind her back and narrowed her eyes at the cat. "I don't like your Familiar."

"It doesn't think much of you, either." The cat jumped down and Liren stretched, before standing up. "Don't change the subject. What do you mean; Balia was destroyed in your dream?" She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't think you were much of a one for prophetic dreams."

"It wasn't a prophetic dream!" Kaya tried not to let her mind dwell on the sense of the loss she had felt in her dream – but it wasn't easy; and she had to surreptitiously wipe at her eyes.

Liren stepped closer to Kaya and placed a hand on her arm, looking into her eyes. "Talk," she ordered.

Kaya glanced to the side, unwilling to meet her friend's eyes. "I was in a forest," she answered finally. "Someone was calling to me. When I tried to follow, the forest started decaying around me. I saw fire and then a raven in front of me – which disappeared as I tried to touch it, leaving blood behind. And while I was being called, everything around me died…" She closed her eyes, feeling helpless, unable to put her feelings about the dream into words.

"A raven?" Liren flinched and turned away. "Symbolic of… _The_ Raven?"

_I hope not._ Kaya turned back to Liren and grasped her upper arms. "Look… This doesn't mean anything. I'm sure The Raven is fine." She tried to smile, but was uncomfortably aware of how poor of an attempt it was. "Why don't we go down into the inn and have a drink? Let's be honest; it's not that bad – even looking at the room we have…" She glanced around at the walls stained with something she didn't even want to talk about. The two beds were dirty and crawling with small creatures. Even _thinking_ of sleeping there made Kaya's skin crawl.

The cat padded over to Liren and jumped into the woman's arms, giving Kaya a baleful stare. It closed its eyes as Liren lightly petted its head, though.

Kaya raked her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Actually, forget the drinks – at least for now. What I need right now is a warm bath and a change of clothes."

"I know the feeling." Liren seemed to have forgotten her momentary sadness. "The bathtub in the other room isn't the best – but it's all we have." The cat climbed up onto her shoulder and Liren flicked some dust off her sleeve. "I think I may follow your example. Let me know when you're finished in there." She stepped away from Kaya, her expression becoming closed off.

Kaya hesitated, wanting to try and talk to Liren about what was going through her mind. However, she knew from past experience that, once her friend got into these moods, talking to her became impossible. All Kaya could do was wait and hope that Liren wouldn't take off again.

Kaya headed into the other room, wrinkling her nose at the smell that hit her full force. _Are these rooms _ever_ washed between users?_ There was cold water in the huge tub in the centre of the room, but a simple uttered spell and use of mana had the water warmed enough to make it almost pleasant.

After a few moments' hesitation, Kaya removed her clothes. There was no other place to put them than the floor, so she just let them drop, vowing to get them washed as soon as she got the chance. Then, she slid into the water, closing her eyes as she felt her tired body relax. She rolled her shoulders, trying to relieve the tense muscles, and slipped into sleep without even realising.

* * *

Help me.

_Kaya felt her hands grasped firmly, though she couldn't see anyone. She peered doubtfully in front of her. "How do I know it's not a trick?"_

_There was no reply, but she didn't expect there to be one. Hearing hoof beats behind her, though, she turned… and leaped out of the way as she saw a group of men – and one woman – on horseback._

_One of the men clenched his fist, a desperately angry look on his face. "We should have stayed!" he ground out. "We should have taken revenge for Ilkar's death! Hell, we shouldn't even have left his body there!"_

Ilkar's dead?_ Kaya scanned the group, but couldn't see any sign of the elf. She felt her heart sink and tears stained her face. For some reason, she felt like her whole world was crashing down around her._

"_We've talked about this, Hirad." The warrior with the shaved head spoke firmly, but not without compassion. "Ilkar gave his life to allow us to escape. We can't let his sacrifice be in vain. We _must_ repair the statue."_

Statue? What statue?

_Kaya couldn't hear anything else. The grief at learning of Ilkar's death was strong and she slumped, closing her eyes, remembering the few brief moments they'd spent together; so long ago, it seemed…_

Ilkar… why?

_Kaya lifted her head and her eyes met the woman's. She felt a chill course through her as Erienne lifted a hand and pointed__ right at her. "Look! Do you see her? She looks like a ghost…"_

_However, the scene abruptly fell away and Kaya found herself in a workshop. A man was there, looking into a swirling mass of demons. "It's time," he said quietly. "Time to use everything I've studied. Now I can finally get _her_ back. I can bring my wife back… from the dead."_

Necromancy?!

_Suddenly, one of the demons lurched at Kaya. With a terrified scream, she backed away, raising her hands to ward it off…_

* * *

"Kaya? Kaya!"

Kaya sat up in the tub, her eyes flying open. She shivered, realising that the enchanted water had cooled considerably, and looked up at Liren. "Oh… it looks like I fell asleep…" she said sheepishly. The images from her dreams were vivid inside her mind and still disturbed her. But it was like Liren said – she'd never been one for prophetic dreams.

"You were screaming in your sleep." Liren looked really pale. The cat on her shoulder regarded Kaya out of disconcerting amber eyes.

Kaya got out of the tub and took the cloth from Liren to dry herself with. "Ilkar's dead." She was too disturbed by the dream to even attempt to soften the blow – but a glance at Liren revealed that she should have thought about it.

Liren's eyes were wide, the expression on her face stricken. For a few moments, she seemed to be unable to find any words. "Was it my fault?" When Liren finally spoke, her voice was so quiet that Kaya could hardly hear her. "Did I… did Ilkar die… because of me?" She refused to meet Kaya's eyes; and the cat made a soft, sad sound.

Kaya felt her heart sink. _I thought we'd got past this…_ "It wasn't your fault, Liren," she whispered fiercely. "_None_ of it was…" For a moment, her eyes met the cat's. This, at least, they were in agreement on.

"Don't try and make me feel better." Although tears shimmered in Liren's eyes, her voice remained steady. "You don't know what I said, just to make the pain stop…"

Kaya stood there uncertainly, not sure what to say. Liren had refused to talk about her time in imprisonment – but Kaya could well imagine it. She herself still bore the scar just below her throat from where the corrupted mage had attempted to impale her.

"Never mind." Liren turned back to Kaya, the stricken look leaving her face. "This is probably connected to that other dream you had. Did you see anything else?"

"I saw… necromancy being put into practice," Kaya admitted quietly. "A mage was using demons to bring someone back from the dead." She glanced at Liren's cat and couldn't help shuddering. She and Liren might be best friends, but that didn't mean she had to like the other's Familiar.

"_Necromancy_?" Liren flinched and recoiled sharply. "Why would you dream about _that_? What does the dream expect? That you'll be able to bring someone back from the dead…?" Then, she blinked and her eyes widened. "Oh…"

"We don't know if the dreams are even true," Kaya pointed out. "They could just be ordinary nightmares." Of course, they'd been a lot more detailed than an ordinary nightmare – but she really didn't _want_ the dreams to be true. _Getting involved with necromancy is a good way to get us both thrown out of our colleges and banned from practising magic,_ she thought. _I can't just start on the forbidden arts without further proof._ "One of the members of the Raven saw me," she added out loud. "She said that I looked like a ghost."

Liren released her breath in a sigh. "Looks like it's time for us to move on, then."


	2. Chapter 2

**Destiny**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Chronicles/Legends of The Raven and I'm not making any money from this fic. The characters Kaya and Liren belong to me, as well as any other characters not seen from the books. Anything you recognise from another fandom, I don't own

**Summary:** Kaya and Liren come to a decision; and more is revealed about their past with The Raven

**Warning(s):** Mild cursing; possible mistakes in the canon; original characters; spoilers up until ElfSorrow; AU for any book following; strong violence; mentions of torture

**Author's Note:** Thank you to anyone who's read (and reviewed) the first chapter of this, even if you don't really know the fandom. I hope it'll begin to make more sense in this chapter and the ones following.

Enjoy!

Also... I haven't been able to do much reading and reviewing at all, since my laptop's broken and I'm trying to get it fixed. I'm having to write this on a computer in my dad and step mother's study. Apologies for that!

* * *

Kaya stared up at the night sky, listening to Liren's soft, even breathing next to her. _I envy her... At least she can sleep easily at the moment._ Of course, it hadn't been too long ago that Liren woke up screaming every night from terrible nightmares...

As she lay there, Kaya tried to work out why she wasn't more upset about Ilkar's death. Had her feelings really changed that much since she'd last seen him?

_I'll tell you why you're important. You're my heart._

As Ilkar's words echoed through her mind, Kaya stared blankly up at the night sky. Why couldn't she cry for him? Did she truly care so little now? _I made my choice... I chose Liren. Does that mean I no longer care for Ilkar?_

Finally, Kaya closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overtake her. She was half-afraid of having another prophetic dream - but she actually dreamed of the first time she and Liren had met...

* * *

"What's your purpose here?" The small blonde stared up at the taller woman, her hands on her hips. Despite her attempts, though, the woman didn't look anything other than cute and harmless.

Kaya fought to keep the smile off her face. She had underestimated people before and had no desire to put herself in any more danger. Besides, the woman had the look of a Xeteskian mage about her. _I've never liked the Dark college and I really don't need to be challenged by one of its members._ Thinking like that kept all traces of humour from her mind and face. "My business is my own," she replied coldly. "And one could ask _you_ the same question."

Kaya had expected a scathing reply and obvious hostility. She certainly wasn't expecting the response she actually got - which was laughter.

"You've got me there," the woman admitted, wiping at her eyes, once the laughter had died away. "Actually, I came here because I thought The Raven might be around."

"And what does Xetesk want with The Raven?" Try as she might, Kaya couldn't keep the scorn out of her voice.

Instead of getting angry or offended, though, the other woman merely shrugged. "There's not really much work for a college-less mage."

"A college-less mage."

"Yeah. It's amazing, really. You do one thing wrong and suddenly, no college wants to claim you." She shrugged and extended a hand. "Liren."

"I'm Kaya." Overcoming her natural dislike of Xetesk, Kaya took Liren's hand in her own. "Used to be a Lystern mage. Now, however, I'm like you. I've heard of The Raven and thought they might be willing to take me on." Kaya knew that her pain at being separated from her college was clear on her face and in her voice; and she didn't understand how Liren could be so flippant about it. _Is she guaranteed of a place in The Raven, then?_

A look of mischief came over Liren's face. "Instead of trying to join separately, why don't we work together?" she suggested casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Kaya bit her lip against the retort which immediately sprang to mind. _I am no longer Lystern and she is no longer Xeteskian..._ To buy herself time to answer, Kaya looked around the ruined city. Her gaze swept over scorched grass and burnt huts. She shuddered as she saw the rotting bodies, lying in disturbing positions, and clamped a hand over her mouth and nose, the stench making her feel physically sick.

_Such a waste._

Kaya abruptly frowned, catching a movement out of the corner of her eye. _The wind?_ She licked a finger and held it up, frowning as she felt nothing. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Liren. "Be on your guard. There are other people here and I don't think they're part of The Raven."

And then, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Kaya woke up as dawn's first light played across her face. For a few moments, she just lay there, her eyes closed, enjoying the sense of freedom which came from starting travel again. _Liren and I definitely weren't built to live within walls._

However, the sense of urgency began to impress on Kaya. To add to that, the full enormity of Ilkar's probable death fell on her. The feelings which hadn't been there the previous day hit her hard and the tears started flowing.

_Ilkar... Ilkar. You _can't_ be dead._

Kaya felt a hand smoothing her hair down and she opened her eyes, looking up into Liren's anxious face. "Hey..." she said softly, trying to smile - but was aware of it being a poor attempt.

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Liren looked away. "I guess you never thought the idea of his death would affect you in this way, huh? Do you regret your decision now?"

_Gods... I thought we were past this._ Kaya pushed herself up into a sitting position and grasped Liren's arm. "Never," she whispered fiercely, holding the other woman's gaze. "I love Ilkar - and I will until the day I die, I imagine. But you're my best friend. I couldn't let you leave The Raven on your own."

_I'll tell you why you're important. You're my heart._

Kaya shook her head to clear the echoes of Ilkar's voice. It had been a number of years since everything had changed. If Ilkar _wasn't_ dead, it was more likely that he'd found someone else. After all, she'd chosen her friend over him...

"We need to go to the place you saw in your dream," Liren was saying; and Kaya tore herself away from her thoughts to listen. "It would really be helpful if you saw more than just the inside of the house."

Kaya shuddered, remembering the demon which had leaped at her. It had been too vivid, too _real_, to be merely a dream. _We have no way of even talking to those demons, let alone getting there - not alone, at least..._ "We need help," she said. "We're strongest when we work together - but once we've exhausted our mana reserves, we're helpless. Most people know that."

"You're talking about The Raven." Liren's tone was flat.

"I don't see any way around it," Kaya replied honestly. "We'd have to tell them the truth, of course. If Ilkar _is_ dead, then they should be willing to help us."

"Speak for yourself." Liren's voice was muffled, but it sounded like she was close to tears. The cat, sitting in Liren's lap, opened its eyes to look at her.

Kaya frowned. "Well, Liren, there's a way around that. Tell The Raven the truth. Better yet, let _me_ tell them." It was difficult to keep the annoyance out of her tone. _I can't believe that Liren is happy to let The Raven believe she betrayed them willingly rather than let them know she had the information tortured out of her._

"It's not that simple."

_Yes, it is._ Kaya didn't say that out loud, though. At the cost of her relationship with Hirad Coldheart, Liren had not bothered to correct their assumption, for reasons she still wouldn't tell her friend. Kaya knew from past experience that Liren would just clam up and refuse to talk if she continued to press. _But I can't let Liren decide the best course of action to take. The Raven's the best chance we've got. And maybe - just maybe - we can tell them the truth..._

* * *

The two mages stood back to back as they were circled by the bandits. Kaya had raised a shield around them - but she and Liren could only cast so much before they were weakened; and they were already outnumbered.

"Well, we're getting to work together much quicker than I thought!" Liren had to shout to be heard above the bandits' roaring - but she sounded excited more than anything else. "What's the plan?"

"HellFire!" Kaya yelled back. "From you, at least. As many times as possible. I'll cast the attack spells I know. But really," she continued, looking at the bandits, "all we're doing is buying ourselves time until we're overwhelmed."

"Raven! Raven with me!"

A group of men - and one elf, Kaya noticed - ran into view. A huge man with his head shaved swung a big sword which caught the nearest bandit full in the chest. As more turned, they were taken out by men wielding swords and other weapons. The elf - clearly a mage - cast ForceCone, a blast which sent the bandits closest to him flying backwards.

They didn't get up again.

"It's The Raven," Liren commented, rather unnecessarily.

"Cast!" Kaya ordered. As she felt Liren begin preparing, she started to do the same, trying to shut out the clash of battle and the screams of the dying.

It didn't take long for the mana to be shaped and the spells to be ready to cast. Once they were, the two mages spoke as one.

"HellFire."

"FlameOrbs."

Kaya quickly realised that their close proximity was affecting her and Liren. HellFire - when it hit - was more powerful than she'd ever seen. Each bolt - and there were three - took out two bandits. The same was true of FlameOrbs. The fireballs hit with unfailing and deadly accuracy, setting alight everything and everyone they touched.

Kaya closed her eyes against the sight and wished that she could close her ears as well. When Liren collapsed, Kaya reached to support her - but her own legs folded beneath her; and both fell to the ground in a heap.

It was the silence which Kaya noticed first. After the clash of blades and shouts of men, the sudden quiet seemed heavy; oppressive. She was hesitant to open her eyes, worried about what she might see.

"We can't stay here. Some of them ran off. They'll be back - with reinforcements."

Kaya looked up at the shaved warrior. His sword swung by his side, gripped by one of his large hands. Blood stained the blade and Kaya, shuddering, looked away.

Surprisingly, it was Liren who spoke up. "I don't think either of us are in a position to move without help," she said pleasantly.

"Ilkar, do you understand this?" The speaker was a tall blond man, wielding a sword which was stained with blood as well. Kaya quickly looked away as her stomace rolled.

Looking away didn't help, though. Everywhere, Kaya could see the bodies of the slaughtered. The stench of death and charred flesh mingled with the rotting smell to assault her nose; and she put her hand up to cover it.

The elf looked at the blond man. "I really don't think you'll understand any explanation I give you, Hirad." As he spoke, Ilkar moved over to the women and offered his hand to Kaya.

Kaya hesitated for a moment. However, Ilkar's lack of a weapon went a long way towards putting her mind at ease. She placed a hand in his and was pulled to her feet. She stumbled - and would have fallen - had not Ilkar quickly wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady.

Hirad glared a little at Ilkar, but then put his sword away and helped Liren to her feet. "Any casualties?" he asked.

"Not yet," the shaved man answered. "But if we stay for much longer, we will have some." He looked around at the others. "Sirendor, Talan, Richmond; I want you leading the way in front. Everyone else, we'll take the rear. Ilkar, can you cast?" he demanded of the elf.

"I can keep us shielded as we run," Ilkar replied. "But I won't be able to cast any offensive spells, though, since I'll need most of my concentration to support, er..." He glanced apologetically down at Kaya. "I didn't catch your name."

_That's because I didn't give it,_ Kaya thought. Out loud, though, she simply said, "I'm Kaya. And that's Liren," she continued, pointing at the other woman, "but I guess some of you at least already know that." _What's wrong with me? I'm _exhausted One simple spell shouldn't have drained her _that_ much. She couldn't even stand on her own.

As the rest of The Raven got into position - with Hirad, Ilkar and the two women in the centre - Kaya felt the mana moving as Ilkar prepared to cast. It brushed over suddenly sensitive skin, soothing mental wounds Kaya hadn't even realised she had. As Ilkar cast, she felt mana drawn from herself in use of the spell, creating a stronger shield.

"Shield up."

Kaya knew from the tone of his voice that Ilkar hadn't been affected by the mingling of mana - at least, not in the way Liren had been. It just made Kaya feel even worse, though, and she slumped against Ilkar, finding it a struggle to even keep her eyes open.

Mercifully, the darkness took her quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Destiny**

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Chronicles/Legends of the Raven and I'm not making any money from this fic. The characters Liren and Kaya belong to me - as if that wasn't obvious...

**Summary:** See previous chapters

**Warning(s):** No new warnings - yet. Sorry, it's taking a while to get to the discipline part

**Author's Note:** Again, thanks for reviewing and everything. You all get cookies! And lots of huggles!

* * *

The members of The Raven - or what remained of it - sat at tables in _The Rookery_. The usual gaiety wasn't anywhere to be felt. Instead, the mood which hung around their heads was somber and dark.

Hirad stared at the wine in front of him. Although it was the best Tomas served, it tasted no better than sand in his mouth. _I can't believe Ilkar's gone... He's always been around._ The barbarian tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling. To make things worse, Erienne had described seeing one of the two people Hirad had hoped never to see or hear from again.

And now only he and The Unknown knew the reason why...

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hirad looked up into Erienne's dark eyes, considering. Even with being the only woman in The Raven, the mage had never shown a tendency to try and 'mother' the men. Hirad suspected that she wanted to know more about what had happened with Kaya and Liren in order to take her mind off Ilkar's death, more than anything else.

Sighing, Hirad played with his glass, and met The Unknown's gaze from across the room. Without making any conscious decision to do so, Hirad found his thoughts turning to the past.

* * *

By the time Kaya opened her eyes again, harsh sunlight was beating down on her. Frowning, she turned her head to the side; and blinked in confusion as she saw a forest going past.

_Why is that forest moving?_

Kaya raised a hand to her head and rubbed at her temples. It didn't help her blinding headache, though. She was rather concerned over the fact that she was sitting on something... and it was moving.

"It's good to see you're finally awake."

As the voice sounded right in her ear, Kaya jerked and nearly fell off the horse. She grabbed onto the rider behind her, but narrowed her eyes as she heard the soft laughter. "It's not funny!"

"Of course not." There was still laughter in Ilkar's tone, though.

"Is there a problem?" The shaved warrior brought his horse to a halt and eyed Kaya. Remembering his bloodied sword, she flinched and shrank back against Ilkar's chest.

"Looks like your face scares her, Unknown." Hirad guided his horse in front of the others and smirked at the warrior. Liren peeked out from behind his shoulder and waved at Kaya.

The Unknown glanced at Hirad with a frown. "As much as you think you are, you really aren't funny, Hirad." He looked back at Kaya. "How are you feeling? You've been out of it for nearly a whole day."

_Is it safe to talk to him?_ Kaya wondered. She wasn't sure she could trust someone who could stab a person one day and act perfectly normal the next. _But then... I did exactly the same thing. It was for different reasons, though. Liren and I were defending ourselves..._ Of course, if it hadn't been for The Raven, she and Liren would be dead by now - or worse.

"Kaya?" It was Ilkar who spoke, his hand resting on her shoulder. "How are your mana reserves?"

_Good question._ Kaya reached out mentally and felt the mana come to her call - but much slower than usual. She frowned, letting it go again as she found herself exerting much more force than she should have needed to. "It's a lot more difficult than it was." She tried to keep her tone calm, but couldn't stop herself shaking.

"Why would that happen? It didn't affect me for this long." Liren seemed to be talking more to Ilkar than Kaya, who bristled; but had to admit that she knew as little - if not less - than Liren did.

Ilkar looked down at Kaya, all traces of humour gone. He then looked at Liren. "If I had to guess - and I couldn't say with any certainty - I'd think that your friend could have the abilities of a catalyst."

"That would make sense if I had more than a passing knowledge of what a catalyst does," Kaya muttered. _Something about being able to strengthen other people's magic, while not having very much power themselves, right? Well... I'm not exactly powerful - and yet being around me has caused both Ilkar and Liren to cast more powerful spells._

Ilkar turned his head to Hirad, who Kaya noticed was nodding. "Are you nodding because you understand, or because you don't want me to explain further?" the elf asked. Though the tone of his voice seemed to suggest that he already knew which it was.

"Well, we _do_ have to get moving," Hirad replied, the trace of a smile on his lips. Kaya noticed the almost possessive way Liren's arms were wrapped around the barbarian's waist and had to wonder at the nature of their relationship.

Kaya felt Ilkar tense up behind her and waited for him to deliver a scathing reply. However, The Unknown then spoke up. "Hirad's right; we do need to get moving. Are you still all right to ride?" he asked Kaya.

As answer, Kaya sat up straighter and took a tight hold of the reins. She pressed her thighs against the horse's sides and felt Ilkar's arms come around her waist as the horse broke into a gallop.

* * *

Kaya leaned back against the trunk of a tree and anxiously watched Liren's face as the mage held a Communion with one of the other mages in Xetesk. She remembered her first knowledge of a catalyst mage and couldn't help giving a light sigh. _My catalyst abilities haven't worked since we left The Raven - and they showed up right when The Raven did._ She was still pretty sure that the two were connected somehow.

Liren opened her eyes and Kaya pulled herself away from her thoughts. "Well?"

"I have directions to the house you saw in your dream." Liren looked away a moment before continuing, "The problem is, it's in Wesmen country. I really don't think it's a good idea to go there with too many people. The wesmen might have left Balaia alone for a while, but I'm sure they'll use any excuse to attack - which includes doing something which could be seen as invading."

Kaya was silent for a few moments. "I'm sure you spent a long time coming up with _that_." She frowned.

"I'm not lying!"

"I know you aren't." Kaya closed her eyes briefly and sighed. "You're saying that we have to go - alone - into enemy territory, where the wrong move could at best get us killed; at worst, cause a war. And _then_, we have to somehow bargain with demons to get Ilkar back." She shook her head slightly. "Why can't anything ever be simple?" _Of course, there are a number of other problems as well..._

Liren shrugged. "Well, what would be the point if our lives were _easy_?"

Knowing that there wasn't really much she could say to that, Kaya asked instead, "How are the twins? Did you tell them you might not be coming back?" Really, it was nothing short of miraculous that the twins had been born at all. _Clearly conceived right before we left The Raven... I think it's amazing that they survived even then._ Now, while their mother - and adopted aunt - traveled over Balaia, the twins stayed at Xetesk with trusted mages.

As it always did, Liren's face lit up at the mention of her children. Sometimes, Kaya brought them up just to see the smile which appeared so rarely now. "They're fine. They do miss me, though. When we go back to Xetesk, I should spend as much time with them as possible." Either she ignored the second question, or simply didn't register it.

_I wonder if Liren will ever tell Hirad that he has two children..._ Kaya simply nodded, though; closed her eyes; leaned back against the tree; and remembered.

* * *

"Here." Liren offered a bowl of stew to Kaya. "I made it. Don't worry; it's not poisoned. I can taste some of it, if you like. Just to prove that it's safe for you to eat."

"No, that's all right." Kaya closed her hands around the wooden bowl, never taking her eyes off the dark-haired elf who was talking - or rather arguing - with Hirad. They'd spent the last two days together; and already, Ilkar was proving to be much better company than most of the human men she knew.

"You know, it's a really bad idea for elves and humans to get involved with each other."

Startled out of her thoughts, Kaya glanced sideways at Liren, barely able to make out the other woman's features in the gradually dimming light. "I wasn't thinking about getting involved with him," she answered honestly. "Just that he's a lot easier to talk to than most of the human men I know." She shook her head slightly. "Anyway, what is it between you and Hirad? You two seem quite close."

"Not really." Liren shrugged. "We have a kind of arrangement, which happens to include sleeping together. It's been going on for a while, I guess." She looked up as Ilkar headed over to them. "So how's Hirad doing? I hope you two have actually come to some kind of agreement - but I very much doubt that's the case."

"You should talk to him," the elf said, frowning. "He's not listening to me right now." Ilkar sat down next to Kaya, the tips of his ears a little red.

"What makes you think _I'll_ have any more luck?" Liren got up anyway, though, and headed over to Hirad, who turned at her touch.

Kaya glanced sideways at Ilkar, noticing the tense set of his shoulders and the grim look to his mouth. _Something seems to be bothering him..._ "Is my being here causing you all problems?" she asked.

Ilkar blinked, glancing at her. "No. What makes you ask that?"

Kaya shrugged slightly and chose not to answer that. "So what exactly is The Raven? Stories about you are around all over Balaia, but most of them appear to be just rumours. I'm curious as to what it is you do - seven men and one elf."

"We're a band of mercenaries," Ilkar answered. "We formed about five years ago; and there were only four of us - at least to begin with."

"So I know who you and Hirad are - and I sort of know who he is," Kaya said, pointing to the Unknown Warrior, "but I wasn't paying enough attention when any introductions were being made." She lowered her hand again.

"Well, first of all, not much is known about The Unknown, save for his fighting style, weapons and the name he goes by." Ilkar smiled. "There hasn't exactly been time for introductions, so don't worry; you didn't miss anything." He looked at the others around the small camp. "That's Sirendor Larn," he said, gesturing towards a tall, well-built man. "And there's Talan, Richmond and Ras. Over there by the fire is Jaynan."

Kaya noticed that Talan, Richmond and Ras seemed to be quite close friends. All of them were quite big men - though still considerably smaller than the Unknown Warrior. All three had black hair - or at least it appeared that way in the near-dark. _It'll take me a while to remember which one's which, I suppose. I can barely make out their features..._ Then again, she couldn't make out much of Jaynan, either - aside from the fact that he was more slender and appeared to have red hair.

"So what brings a Julatsan mage to a band of mercenaries?" Kaya asked, glancing again at Ilkar. "At least, I assume that's what you are."

"Your assumption is correct," Ilkar replied. "As to why I am here? Well, I'd prefer to keep that knowledge to myself, at least for the time being." His tone was firm, but not unkind.

"Well, I can understand that." Abruptly, Kaya shivered.

Ilkar eyed her with concern. "Are you cold?" Without waiting for any kind of response, he removed his cloak from around his shoulders and settled it over Kaya's. "You should have sat nearer to the fire."

Kaya didn't want to admit that she didn't want to sit close to the fire because that was where the men with the swords were. She just stared at the flickering flames and tried not to think about what her future might hold.

* * *

Kaya watched Liren as her friend killed the two rabbits with two simple slashes of her dagger. She then took the small bodies out of the traps and headed back over to Kaya. "We need to be careful not to leave any traces of our presence behind; particularly given how close we are to Wesmen country."

"Are you _sure_ you have the right directions?" Kaya warily eyed the border to the Wesmen lands, feeling nervous. They were relatively safe on _this_ side of the border...

But the other side was fraught with danger.

"Yes, I do have the right directions," Liren replied calmly - though Kaya noticed that her hands shook. "We don't have any choice, Kaya. Not if you ever want to see Ilkar again."

Kaya stared at the mountains. The setting sun made it look like the peaks were on fire; and she couldn't help shivering.

_The only things that await us in the Wesmen country are fire and pain... And what price will the demons extract from us for Ilkar's life?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Destiny**

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Chronicles/Legends of the Raven and I'm not making any money from this fic.

**Warning(s):** All same as previous chapters, with one exception - finally, there's (well, hints of) spanking!

**Author's Note:** Once again, thank you to those of you have read and reviewed the chapters of this so far. It's gone a good way to making this fic go on for as long as it is!

* * *

When the time finally came for them to cross the border into Wesmen country, Liren wasn't as scared as she thought she would be. Well, that was a lie; she _was_ scared - but it was nothing like the mindless panic she had expected.

_Maybe I'm so calm because of how scared Kaya is._

The wait hadn't improved Kaya's mood at all. She'd spent most of the night pacing; and now her face was pale, with dark circles showing vividly under her eyes.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right with going into Wesmen country?" Liren asked yet again. "Honestly, I don't mind going in and finding that house on my own." And making the bargain with the demons.

Kaya frowned at her. "And who would stop you from agreeing to pay a stupid price for Ilkar's life? Even if I _didn't_ want him back for personal reasons, I wouldn't let you - my best friend - walk into a situation like that on your own. I wouldn't even let my worst enemy do that." She frowned. "No, actually... I might let my worst enemy."

_Thank you, Kaya._ Liren wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was glad of Kaya's presence. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, the two mages were best friends - and Liren knew that she would have lost her mind long ago, if it hadn't been for Kaya.

_I owe her so much..._

"All right," Liren said out loud. "You know what the plan is, right? CloakedWalk as much as possible. Then, when our mana reserves start getting depleted, we rest - and hide - until our strength returns."

"I know. It's been fine ever since we talked about it." Kaya sighed and took one more dread-filled glance at the Wesmen border. Then, she closed her eyes - and Liren could feel her start to draw the mana in.

_Well... Here goes nothing._ Liren started to the pull the mana into her. When she felt that she had enough, she cast. "CloakedWalk." Next to her, she head and felt Kaya do the same; and felt the flow of mana prickle over her skin.

Liren slowly reached out a hand and managed to close her cold fingers around Kaya's. Then, moving as one, the two mages crossed the border into enemy territory.

Inexplicably, Liren found her mind turning to the first time she had met Hirad Coldheart and the Raven.

* * *

"Ow!" Liren cursed under her breath and grabbed her foot, glaring at the rock she had just stubbed her toe on. "Whatever entity designed this world is _stupid_!"

"Liren, we're not going to get anywhere if you insist on offending the gods." Harin, a tall Xeteskian with red hair, came up to stand next to Liren.

_They should be able to stand a little bit of criticism._ But Liren didn't say that out loud. Truthfully, she was nervous. She would have preferred to do this mission alone, but the Lord of the Mount had decided that the letter she carried needed to be protected. _I'd draw much less attention if I traveled alone rather than in this huge group of mages._

"What was that?" Nalin came up to stand on Liren's other side, head moving uneasily from side to side. "I just heard something..."

Behind Liren, there was a scream which was abruptly cut off into a gurgling sound. She turned round and gasped as she saw one of the other mages with his throat cut open. She took a step backwards, whimpering a little, and then screamed herself as she felt someone grab her from behind.

"Give us what you carry and we'll let you live," a harsh voice hissed in Liren's ear. Her head was yanked brutally to the side in time for her to see Harin fall, bleeding from his neck. All around her, she could hear the choked screams as her friends died.

_Help me!_

"No one's coming to save you," the voice whispered, as if its owner had heard Liren's plea. "Put your hand in your pocket and take out the letter that's there. Then give it to me."

Liren hesitated, but something sharp pressed against her throat and she slipped her hand into her pocket. Very slowly, her fingers trembling slightly, she pulled the piece of paper out and held it between thumb and forefinger.

"Give it to me."

Before Liren could do anything, though, the grip on her loosened. The shock of it sent her stumbling forward; and her arms were grasped by someone else. She screamed and started struggling.

"Relax. Don't look." Someone covered Liren's eyes - but she could still hear the sounds of battle. However, when the sounds of battle faded, the silence was even worse.

"Ilks, it's probably all right to let her go now," a new voice said.

Slowly, Liren's eyes were uncovered. The first thing she did was look around to see if any of her friends were still alive - but all she saw were dead bodies. She gasped and took a step forward, away from the person who'd been holding her. "Why...? How...? They were among the _best_!"

"What are you carrying?"

Liren turned to the blond, big man who had spoken and surreptitiously slipped the letter into her pocket. "I'm not carrying anything." Well, she wasn't in her hands, at least.

"We don't want to take it from you." The speaker this time was a big man - much bigger than the blond - with a shaved head. "If it's important - and the price is right - we can protect you. We are the Raven."

Liren looked around at the men. _Well... there's the right number, but..._ "Just because you _say_ you're the Raven, it doesn't mean you actually are."

"Didn't you see us fight?" one of the other men asked.

"No. He covered my eyes." Liren pointed behind her and then turned to check who she was pointing at. _All right... elves don't normally run around in mercenary bands; I'll give them that. And I can certainly pay them well for their trouble._ But there were other things she had to do first.

Like bury her dead friends.

* * *

Kaya glanced sideways at Liren, worriedly noticing her friend's dry, cracked lips. They'd run out of water that afternoon and, even though they were two days into Wesmen country, they hadn't found any water source it was safe to approach.

_Maybe this is a foolish quest..._

After all, the demon house had clearly existed at some point - but that didn't necessarily mean that it still existed _now_. _I don't think I could handle it if this attempt failed... Maybe it's better not to hope at all than to have to lose it._

Of course, she couldn't just stop hoping now that she'd started.

Finally, the events of the last two days - and simple exhaustion - overwhelmed Kaya; and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_She stumbled through the forest, hot tears running down her cheeks. "Where are you?" she called. "Where are you?!"_

"_Here I am." Arms slipped around Kaya's waist; and she was pulled back against a hard chest._

"_Hey!" Startled, Kaya tried to pull herself free - but paused as she felt the person's arms tighten around her waist and a soft kiss on the back of her neck._

"_You've been looking for me... haven't you?"_

_Kaya closed her eyes, stiffening slightly at the familiar tone. "Ilkar...?" _That's wrong... He shouldn't be here._ But she couldn't remember _why_. She started to turn round._

"_Let's just stay like this." Ilkar kissed the top of Kaya's head. "I know what you and Liren are planning to do."_

_Kaya's head came up; and she only just managed to avoid hitting Ilkar in the chin. _He's dead... that's what's wrong._ "Ilkar... What are you doing here?"_

"_This is a place between the world of the living and the world of the dead," Ilkar answered. "I may speak with you here - but only for a short time." He turned Kaya so that she was facing him and reached one hand down to lightly cup her behind, his face suddenly grim. "There are all sorts of things I can see here. For instance... I know that you and Liren lied. She didn't betray us - or not by choice, at least."_

"_You know?" Kaya shifted slightly, uncomfortably aware of Ilkar's hand. _He wouldn't do that here... would he?_ "Liren made me promise not to tell the truth."_

"_You should have left her for Hirad to deal with." Ilkar patted her bottom briefly and then sighed. "Look... you need to be careful with the demons. The price they'll ask of you may be too difficult to bear."_

_Kaya took a step back and looked into Ilkar's eyes. "_No_ price could be too great." It was a vow she meant with all her heart._


	5. Chapter 5

**Destiny**

**Chapter Five**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from Chronicles/Legends of the Raven and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Warning(s):** Spanking; AU; original characters; spoilers for up to Elfsorrow; mentions of torture; violence; mild swearing

**Author's Note:** I apologise for not updating this for ages. It's been very difficult to get the inspiration. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter as much as you've enjoyed the previous ones!

* * *

When Kaya opened her eyes again, she realised that her chest was hurting. There wasn't any disorientation as she stared up at the sky. She knew full well that she'd just dreamed – and it had been a true one – of meeting Ilkar again between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

"Good, you're awake. We need to keep moving."

Kaya looked up at Liren, and her eyes met those of the Familiar's. Shuddering, she glanced away and looked at her friend. "I had another dream," she said quietly. "Not like those other ones I've been having. This one wasn't scary. It didn't make me scream. It did make me cry, though..."

"Oh... I'm sorry." Immediately, Liren came to her side and put her hand on Kaya's shoulder. "Do you need to take today to rest? I'm sure it won't be a problem, so long as we keep well hidden."

Kaya shook her head quickly. "No. We can't rest." She placed her hands on Liren's upper arms, forcing her friend to look into her eyes. "I dreamt about Ilkar last night. We talked." When Liren opened her mouth, she quickly cut her off. "I know what you're thinking. Believe me, it wasn't just my desire to see him. The dream was too real, too vivid. I remember everything about it in incredible detail, and... I know where the house is." Before she'd woken up, Ilkar had implanted the directions inside her mind.

Liren flinched and drew back slightly. "Are you sure you know? After all, this is enemy territory. We've been lucky so far, but..."

"Ilkar wouldn't lead us into danger," Kaya said with certainty.

"Maybe it was one of the demons, trying to trick you," Liren suggested. "And remember that Ilkar believes that I betrayed the Raven willingly. If..."

"Ilkar knows the truth."

"... I was him, I'd..." Liren paused, and glanced at her. "What did you say? How can Ilkar know about that? He... What did he say?"

"He's very unhappy with me," Kaya replied. "I think he was right, you know. I should never have backed you up. I wish I'd told Ilkar and Hirad the truth. Why did you lie, Liren? Was it better for them to think that you'd betrayed them, rather than to think you were weak?" She shook her head. "He'll tell Hirad, and then we'll _both_ get punished."

"Punished?" Liren repeated, her head drooping. "Hirad would have punished me for betraying them..."

"Is _that_ why you wouldn't tell him? You thought he'd punish you?" Kaya shook her head in disbelief. "You should have told me this ages ago, Liren. Don't you understand? That information was _tortured_ out of you! No one could blame you for something that you could hardly help. Besides, it's not like you even remember giving away that information," she added. "Are you sure they didn't find out in a different way?"

"I don't see how they could have." Liren looked away. "I can't keep handling this. You have to understand, Kaya. I couldn't just tell him – and I can't now. How would I ever be able to explain?" Her eyes brimmed with tears. "The more time that's passed, the harder it is to say anything."

Kaya gave her a one-armed hug. "You don't have to tell him. Ilkar will." She cringed, thinking about the punishment she was bound to receive. The one consolation was that at least she would be back with Ilkar. Of course, there was still the price they would have to pay for bringing him back...

Liren nodded and wiped at her eyes. "You're right. Even if it's the worst punishment I've ever received, it'll be worth it if I can be with Hirad again." The slight trembling in her voice gave away just how worried she was about it.

Kaya nodded, and patted her arm. It had only taken about a decade to actually get through to Liren. At least she had finally managed it, though. "I know that it'll be a relief for me. Now... do you want to start out now? You know that the sooner we get Ilkar back, the sooner to both our respective punishments." She took a slight breath, wryly noticing that she too was nervous.

"Well, we'd have to do it sooner or later." Liren stood up and held out her arm to Kaya, helping her up. "So... Where did you say the house was?"

* * *

Liren looked up at Hirad as he entered her tent. Her fingers started to go to the fastenings on her tunic, but the look on his face stopped her. Clearly, he didn't want her to lie with him just yet. "What's wrong?"

Hirad took a step forward, looking at her intently. "You put yourself in danger today, Liren. Kaya may be a catalyst – whatever that is – but you still pushed herself, and her, past your own limits."

"What's the point? It worked, didn't it?" Liren looked up at him. "I don't know why you're annoyed. It's no different to what you do."

"_I_ know my limits. Besides, you're a mage – just like Ilkar is. I've seen enough of what he can do to see how easily you tire yourselves out." Hirad undid his sword belt and laid it to one side. Then, he took Liren's wrist. "I'm sure Ilkar is dealing with Kaya. She's in as much trouble as you are – though maybe you're in more. We've talked about this before."

Liren flinched, starting to pull her wrist away. Hirad simply tightened his hold, though, pulled her forward; and tugged her across his knees after he seated himself.

Automatically, she put out her hands to catch her balance. With one tug, Hirad had her trousers down around her ankles, ignoring her yelp of protest. "If you've ripped another pair of trousers...!"

"If you didn't keep getting into trouble, you wouldn't have to keep replacing them," Hirad pointed out. "Spanking your bare bottom works much better than spanking you over your trousers. Though I'm going to be using my belt the next time you do this." Hirad let the first smack fall on his last word.

Liren squirmed a little over his lap as Hirad started smacking her bare bottom in earnest. Though she knew it didn't do any good, she started struggling and kicking her feet. "I didn't do it on purpose...!" she cried, the words intermingled with pained exclamations.

"Maybe not, but you still did." Hirad continued the hard spanking. "You really need to start paying more attention to your limits."

Liren really wished that he'd stop scolding her while he spanked. It was very disconcerting, trying to listen to his words over the loud smacks, not to mention the burning pain in her bottom. Couldn't he just scold her, and not spank her? There were all sorts of things they could be doing instead...

"Don't fight it, Liren. You need to stop doing this. If I have to spank you every day, you _will_ learn to keep to your limits."

Finally, Liren felt the tears slipping out of her eyes. When the first sob escaped her, Hirad stopped and helped her up, then squeezed her hand lightly. "All right, Liren? This has to stop. Every member of the Raven is too precious to lose."

Liren nodded, leaning into him a little and letting herself believe – just for a moment – that Hirad cared about her as a person as well.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ this is the right place?" Liren stared at the clearing, which – to her eyes – looked empty. On her shoulder, the Familiar rubbed against her cheek, and Liren brushed her fingertips over the soft fur.

"Yes, I'm sure." Kaya glanced at Liren and made a slight grimace. "Ilkar said that we needed a Xeteskian mage with a Familiar... Isn't your Familiar a demon, kind of? Maybe it's supposed to make the house appear."

"Somehow, I doubt that's the case," Liren replied – but then, her voice trailed off as she saw a house shimmer into view, as if it had been under illusion. "But obviously, I'm wrong..."


End file.
